WASHINGTON — In a departure from the post-Thanksgiving “Track Friday” sale that Amtrak has staged since 2016, this year’s version is only available from Maine to Virginia in the Northeast instead of on most routes nationwide. Through today (Monday, Nov. 29) the company is offering “Buy One, Get One Free” companion fares between Jan. 4 […]
NEW YORK — Train crew shortages that have affected service on Class I railroads this year also have cropped up on short lines, as rail workers seek greener pastures and new hires are hard to find. Genesee & Wyoming, the largest shortline holding company, saw the number of employees leaving the railroad double in the third […]
NEW YORK — Railroads have a stark choice. They can maintain their focus on the operating ratio, continue to bleed traffic to the highway, and lose $177 billion in revenue by 2030. Along the way railroads would shrink in line with declining volume, meaning track would be torn up, real estate sold off, railcars scrapped, […]
NORFOLK, Va. — The Port of Virginia’s board of directors has approved a $61.5 million contract to double the size of the Central Rail Yard at the Norfolk International Terminals. WAVY-TV reports the board also approved an $18 million contract for up to three cantilever rail-mounted gantry cranes and related systems. The two projects will […]
Amtrak trains during the holidays in 2021 are facing ridership demand last seen in 2019 before COVID-19 and a dip in 2020. While autos jam highways where public transportation options are scarce, and airlines offer sufficient capacity to accommodate longer trips, Amtrak in the past has risen to the occasion by offering extra trains and […]
In 1995, Norfolk Southern was in the market for a modern, high-horsepower diesel to add to its roster. If you run an N scale railroad, you can do as NS did and pick up the General Electric Dash 9-40C, the latest offering from ScaleTrains.com’s high-detail Rivet Counter line. This modern six-axle workhorse is available as […]
SPENCER, N.C. — The N.C. Transportation Museum will receive $10 million in state funding to complete the renovation of the Spencer Shops Powerhouse, the second oldest building on the shop complex that dates to 1896, and to restore the Car Shed to house the museum’s passenger cars. An additional $280,000 will go to replace lost […]
DEFIANCE, Ohio – The Ohio Rail Development Commission has approved a grant of up to $687,622.50 to replace rail on a portion of Pioneer Lines Napoleon Defiance & Western Railway’s line east of Defiance, Ohio. NDW’s line runs from Woodburn, Ind., to Napoleon, Ohio, with interchanges with Norfolk Southern in Woodburn and CSX in Defiance. […]
Product news Model railroad operators and builders can get the latest information about locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars, tools, track, and more by reading Model Railroader’s frequent product updates. Here are the products Model Railroader editors have news on for the week of November 18, 2021. HO scale locomotives Electro-Motive Division F units. F9A and […]
MOBILE, Ala. — In a filing with the Surface Transportation Board earlier this month, CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern asserted the railroads’ freight operation will suffer a “catastrophic meltdown” if Amtrak is allowed to add two daily passenger round trips between New Orleans and Mobile. Yet the 277-page “opening evidence” document by the two carriers […]
WASHINGTON – The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill President Biden is slated to sign into law today (Monday, Nov. 15) contains funding for a study of Class I railroads’ use of ever-longer trains and their impact on safety, grade crossings, freight and passenger service, and the environment. The measure provides up to $2 million for the […]
SAVANNAH, Ga. — The second portion of the Port of Savannah’s Mason Mega Rail Terminal is now in operation, increasing intermodal capacity at the port by more than 30%. The second phase of the project adds nine new tracks to nine that opened in 2020 as part of a project that, overall, has added more […]
